DUNKIRK - As you walk through the animal barns at the Chautauqua County Fairgrounds, it's easy to forget the work that goes into raising each of those specimens on display.
It's especially hard to imagine the work being done by teens and preteens - but that is exactly the case with hundreds of animal projects displayed under the 4-H banner at the Chautauqua County Fair each year.
Emily Kidd, leader of the county 4-H youth development program, said that the Fair is the time when 4-Hers - about 300 of whom are on the fairgrounds each day - have their chance to show what they've accomplished through the program.
"4-H projects are unique in the fact it's not something they decided to work on for the week or somewhere they decided to go for the weekend," Ms. Kidd said. "It's a yearlong project, and this is really their celebration and their opportunity to let everybody else see what they've done."
In addition to all the animal projects in the barns, more than 2,000 non-animal projects are on display in the 4-H building at the fairgrounds. These projects include horticulture, ceramics, leatherwork, woodwork and other such crafts.
Nearly 100 4-Hers also are participating in public presentations in the 4-H Building during the week at the fair, Ms. Kidd said, where there are 30 booths set up representing each of the individual 4-H clubs in Chautauqua County.
"There's really a lot of opportunities for the youth to be out there engaged with the public and informing the public about the skills that they've learned and the agricultural bases in the county," Ms. Kidd said.
TAKING RESPONSIBILITY
A national organization committed to "making the best better," 4-H aims to meet its goal by providing youth with a fun, high-quality and research-based educational program.
Belonging, mastery, independence and generosity are the four elements of positive development 4-H attempts to instill in youth through its programming. Ms. Kidd said the week of the County Fair is a time when all four of those elements are hit upon strongly.
The youth who are staying on the fairgrounds around the clock during the week to tend to their animals and to the barn are especially learning to juggle responsibilities, she said.
"They have the responsibility of caring for the animal every day and then preparing each animal for show, and being presentable for the public and available for the public to answer questions," Ms. Kidd said.
A special group of teens are the 51 junior superintendents, who are in the team leaders among the 4-Hers during the week of the fair. Selected through an application process - which requires a resume and a cover letter - the teens are responsible for each barn area, along with the adult superintendents.
"They do multiple things, whether it be meeting with the public, checking on everyone's animals, making sure the barn is up-kept and those types of things," Ms. Kidd said. "They're also responsible for engaging the younger 4-Hers in the process and helping new 4-H families understand the ways of the fair - how to handle the public as they come in, how to care for the animals and maybe when the best time to clean the barn is, the best time to feed is, those type of things."
On top of all the other life lessons that are learned through the animal project process, the 4-Hers who bring animals to the fair for market learn another, sometimes difficult, one.
"That's just an exceptional life lesson in what it takes to raise something, raise it to a quality, then market it to the people and part with it too," Ms. Kidd said. "That's a strong life lesson that the market kids learn - the animal they've been attached to it going for meat. That's definitely a little different and takes some time."
LOOKING BACK
Even next week, after the fair is over and the dust has settled, 4-Hers will be continuing to learn thanks to the projects they displayed.
"Fair is sometimes called the culminating event, but really it's not the end for the kids," Ms. Kidd said. "They go back and are asked to reflect on their experiences, and they each complete project record forms on every project they've done."
The project record forms provide the youngsters with a breakdown of the money, time and care that has gone into the actualization of their projects. And when it comes to the market animals, Ms. Kidd said, it shows them whether their business practices allowed them to make money or lose money on the animal.
"It shows where they can cut costs, looking into the long-term future status of if they were on a farm, what it would cost per animal," she said.
For the youth with non-animal projects, she said, breaking down the progress that was made over time and the analyzing the input versus the output can demonstrate how far they have come.
"They might look at that record form and say, 'Wow, look, when I first started this ceramics project, all I did was this little one. Now I'm doing three-piece, fine-detailed figurines,''' she said. "It gives them that sense of mastery."
PLENTY TO DO
About 250 4-Hers actually stay on the fairgrounds throughout the entire week of the fair, an experience Ms. Kidd said is a lesson-learning opportunity in its own right.
"There's definitely that life lesson of sharing all of your space and all of your belongings for that week," she said. "It's like the first week of college."
And it's not as if the experience just begins when the gates open on the first day of the fair. Many of the youth have been spending time at the fairgrounds on and off for the past month, she said - working to prepare barns by cleaning and painting them, hanging up signs, setting up displays and otherwise readying the area for the thousands of visitors.
In the four days that remain in the Chautauqua County Fair, there is still plenty for the 4-Hers on the grounds to do.
Showmanship events are yet to be held and awards remain to be given out for most animals. In addition, horse competitions will take place each of the four days in the Horse Show Arena.
The meat animal sale will be held at noon in the Warren K. Brown Show Arena, and Ms. Kidd said it is among the highlights of the week.
"Everybody should come and at least see it," she said. "Even if you don't want to buy, it's exciting to come watch."
And for the 4-Hers who will watch their animals be led away, it's just one more life lesson learned at the fair.
For more information about the county 4-H program, visit cce.cornell.edu/chautauqua and click on the "4-H Youth Development" tab.
